Over the years, as copying machines have been more widely used to produce multiple sets of copies of multiple page documents, sorting machines have been devised to accommodate the copy sheets and sort them into collated sets as they leave the copy machine.
Efforts have been made to accommodate larger numbers of sets and to reduce the space occupied by the sorter, by shifting trays to facilitate the distribution of the sheets, as shown and described, for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,774,902, 3,788,640 and 4,055,339, as well as in my prior U.S. patents.
Some of the prior devices while adapting the sorter to receive a large number of sets or a large number of sheets per set have been adapted by a sheet transport to transfer sheets from the copying machine to a given tray or bin location, at which the sheet is deflected into the bin. As disclosed in my U.S. patent application Serial No. 936,724, filed Aug. 25, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,435 space can also be effectively saved by nesting the sheet deflectors and extending their length.
Nevertheless, there has remained a need in the industry for a small, simple and compact sorter which can be applied to copiers, as original equipment, or as a later attachment, to receive copy sheets from the outlet of the copy machine and sort the sheets into a number of collated sets, without requiring special transport means to carry the sheets from the outlet to the sorting trays or bins, and without occupying a large space for the sorting apparatus.